Cops to tighten net around drug dealers
A spokesperson for the DPO’s office said the Civil Lines police’s performance was exemplary. He said SHOs had been issued directions to take strict action against drug dealers and bootleggers. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Police have made a significant decision to crack down on drug dealers. Lists of more than 600 drug dealers throughout the district, including women, have been made. The lists were given to top officers of the police and police stations during a special meeting presided over by the CPO.
CPO Umar Salamat has decided to conduct a major crackdown on drug dealers.
Gujranwala police have created lists to break the city's narcotics supply chain. The task of apprehending significant drug trafficking gangs has been delegated to the police stations, and at the police station level, SP and SDPO supervision teams have been formed.
CPO Gujranwala Umar Salamat has given top police officials complete names of 600 drug traffickers to eradicate the drug scourge. According to the CPO, intelligence-based operations would be carried out daily. The objective of the operation is to safeguard the next generation against this harmful toxin. CPO continued by saying that people would now see a successful campaign against drug dealers.
SPs, SDPOs and SHOs of police stations should fulfill this task. The lists contain names of more than two female drug traffickers, and in recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of female drug sellers. There is a shortage of female constables in the Gujranwala Police. Female drug sellers now transport the narcotics to the desired location either by themselves or with the assistance of young children, taking advantage of the fact that male officers do not touch women. It is highly uncommon for a female drug dealer to be apprehended on the tip of an informant.
According to CPO Umar Salamat, policewomen have been notified in the teams that are conducting the operation against those spreading this lethal poison so that, in the event that any woman is implicated, she should be apprehended with the assistance of lady police.
Additionally, he has urged everyone to support the Gujranwala Police by calling police helpline 15 or their local SHO with any information they may have about drug traffickers. CPO Umar Salamat said we would conduct the most effective crackdown against drug dealers.
At least 460 drug addicts died in the streets and parks of Lahore during the past year. The consultant of a social organisation, Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, said while presenting the annual report for 2021 of an anti-narcotics campaign that an addict spent an average Rs450 to Rs1,000 per day on drugs.
He said 460 homeless addicts were found dead at sidewalks, roads and parks in Lahore during the year. The number of unidentified drug addicts found dead was high in the Data Darbar and Bhati Gate areas. The expert warned that drug use among young people was on the rise, including among girls.
Complaints of drug use were also received from students of some well-known educational institutions, on which the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and police arrested six drug dealers active near universities and colleges.
Zulfiqar Hussain said it was estimated that 80 per cent of the drugs in the city were ordered through mobile phone and WhatsApp.
He said drug addiction among members of affluent families had increased since the outbreak of coronavirus due to economic uncertainty and mental stress.
On the other hand, divorces increased because of addiction, affecting whole families.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2022.